Serving Personnel, the RAF Government 'Yes Man' toady won't speak out on your behalf...........Another request; civvies, cadets and those not qualified to comment please refrain. Jounalists are not always the 'enemy' unless of course your a 'bandwagon jumping walt'.

As I am only 'baby murdering, civillian beating' figure of hate and a servent of Satan for having served In Iraq in '03, '04 and 07 I shall comment no further except for this one last point........Iraq and the media vitriolic against it, how did that impact on soldiers mental health?

It is a fact that psychiatric care within the armed forces has fallen to an all time low. Anyone else had a someone they work with sent to see psych help after a tour and end up as the only 20 something in a group of alcoholic and drug abusing 40 yr olds (I don't mean the the Sgts Mess)

At the end of the day nothing can prepare a soldier for what he may experience in combat. Some just deal with it better then others. Once a soldier accepts he has a problem there is much the MoD can and will do for him. The system is much better then it was for the blokes who came back from the Falklands.

At the end of the day nothing can prepare a soldier for what he may experience in combat. Some just deal with it better then others. Once a soldier accepts he has a problem there is much the MoD can and will do for him. The system is much better then it was for the blokes who came back from the Falklands.

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I agree with your point that still serving members of the armed services get help from the MOD, however, once you have left the services the MOD don't care diddly squat, plus given the fact that the PTSD can lay dormant for years ( current average is around 14 years) there is still potential for a huge amount of ex service pax who will be in need of help. More importantly, the NHS psych services are fully aware of that fact but the MOD don't seem to be making any moves in the help direction.

fingers crossed though..something might be around the corner other than mass suicides.

At the end of the day nothing can prepare a soldier for what he may experience in combat. Some just deal with it better then others. Once a soldier accepts he has a problem there is much the MoD can and will do for him. The system is much better then it was for the blokes who came back from the Falklands.

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Fair one, but how many soldiers will admit to such a problem? Hopefully, times have changed.

At the end of the day nothing can prepare a soldier for what he may experience in combat. Some just deal with it better then others. Once a soldier accepts he has a problem there is much the MoD can and will do for him. The system is much better then it was for the blokes who came back from the Falklands.

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Fair one, but how many soldiers will admit to such a problem? Hopefully, times have changed.

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Good point. Will the older career soldier feel that he/she has to repress the urge to 'go sick' or would doing so be seen by some as a risk to a future promotion? Do mental health issues remain stigmatized by those who decide who will and who won't be promoted? I would imagine that it would be difficult to convince a 17yr CSgt or Staffie barking at WO2 that he/she should seek help. In addition, what about the peripheral issues affecting those who do not seek help or who do not believe that they have a problem? Alcohol? Drugs? Depression? Domestic violence? The system is a lot better than it was previously, but I would imagine that you are correct in that a problem may lie in getting the individual to recognise that they need help.